SLO BYTES PC USER'S GROUP
NEWSLETTER - FEBRUARY, 1988
CLUB INFORMATION
The SLO BYTES Newsletter is a monthly publication of
SLO BYTES of the Central Coast of California (San Luis
Obispo) an IBM/compatible personal computer user's
group. Information found in this Newsletter is
derived from magazine articles, manuals, books, other
PC user group newsletters, and our own members. The
purpose of this publication is to inform our members
of meetings, their program content, and other
information related to the use of IBM-PC's and
compatible computers. Dues to SLO BYTES are $18 per
year. As a member you will receive a membership card,
an updated membership list, SLO BYTES monthly
newsletter, and free use of our Public Domain Library.
Contributors are asked to submit articles for the next
issue by the 15th of each month either in writing or
on disk (ASCII format preferred). Address all
correspondence to SLO BYTES PC USER'S GROUP, % Bob
Ward, 2100 Andre' Ave., Los Osos, Ca. 93402. Phone
8am-5pm 756-2164, after 5pm - (805)528-0121. Other
user's groups have permission to publish any material
found in this newsletter.
Treasurer: John Rohde
1214 Vista Del Lego
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Have a computer related item to sell? Tell the editor
and we will put it in our newsletter. For further
information call Bob Ward @ (805)528-0121 eves.
******************************************************
Meetings are held the 1st Thursday of every month,
unless noted otherwise in the newsletter calendar, at
7:15 pm. New users SIG 6:15 to 7:00 pm. Meeting
place: Cal Poly University Biology Department, Fisher
Hall, Room 286.
******************************************************
DI$COUNT$-DI$COUNT$-DI$COUNT$-DI$COUNT$-DI$COUNT$
Discounts usually apply only to regularly priced
merchandise. Ask a salesman to make sure. You must
present your membership card to receive a discount.
Paradise Computers 5% - all computers, peripherals,
441 Marsh St. and software.
San Luis Obispo 10% - Ribbons, paper, disks &
544-7127 other expendable items.
Star Computers 5% - any software in stock.
655 Morro Bay Blvd.
Morro Bay 10% - paper, ribbons, cable &
772-7827 other supplies.
Computer Logic 10% - off list - all computers,
973 Foothill Blvd. software, computer periphe-
Store #4 rals and products. Contact
San Luis Obispo Bruce, Paul, or Dave for
544-8347 your discount.
WITCO Computers 10% off complete systems.
3563 Sueldo, 5% off computers alone
Building B 10% off already discounted
San Luis Obispo peripherals, & supplies but
549-0811 not including software.
FISBOSA Systems 10% - off packaged systems, soft-
3121 S. Higuera, F ware &/or peripherals when
San Luis Obispo purchased with system. Con-
549-9027 tact Lynne Boisen.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
COMPUTER FAIRE COMES TO TOWN
Our users group supported a mini-computer faire last
year in October 1987. This was the first of its kind
in the history of the Central Coast. It was held at
the Park Suite Hotel in San Luis Obispo. The response
was overwhelming. Both the attendees and the vendors
were very delighted with the attendance and the array
of displays.
There were over 750 attendees with a variety of
interests. Some of the vendors sold or had pledged
sales of computers and supplies. All in all the faire
was a very successful undertaking with many members
from our group participating as hosts and hostesses.
Now we have decided to carry on with last years
success. We have opted to fully sponsor the "Second
Annual Central Coast Computer Fair" on October 15,
1988 at the Veteran's Memorial Building in San Luis
Obispo.
One of the most important aspects of a successful
fair is the full and complete cooperation by all
the members and the local vendors. You, as members,
are going to be asked to help in many ways to make
this "Af Fair to Remember". We want this to be the
start of a continual "Annual Central Coast Computer
Fair". Each subsequent one will be bigger and better
than the last one. We can accomplish this...all it
takes is confidence and dedication.
If and when you are called on to help please make the
time and apply the effort. Your participation is most
important. Let's have fun making this Computer Fair a
Central Coast success story.
Our committee consists of the following:
Jules Lieber, Chairman 528-1566
Gus Thomaason 544-2319
Sam Powers 528-4355
John Read 481-0792
Lynne Boisen 549-9027
======================================================
NEW MEMBERS
Welcome to all the new members who joined us in
February!
Robert Baughman 461-0483
Ed Reiten 772-1814
Bob Schrempp 544-7346
Bob Hunt 466-3330
James Lasley 528-8488
Joan Carrington 461-1565
Valerie Bross 543-4627
Vernon Pierce Jr. 481-8092
Don Tomlinson 927-8555
David Clark 546-8144
Bertie Rettburg 541-6399
Dick Thorpe 543-4726
Donald Shealy 544-1026
Betty McKie 528-0631
Andy Graeser 546-4960
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$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
TREASURER'S REPORT
John Rohde, treasurer, reported the following income &
expenses for the month of February, 1988:
Beginning Balance: $ 3036.07
Income: $ 716.85
Interest: $ 23.15
Expenses: $ -602.43
=========
Ending Balance: $ 3173.64
Current Membership: 171
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
BITS 'N BYTES
*** Starting next month, the treasurer will not be
available during the speakers presentation at the
general meeting. If you wish to purchase disks, check
out ATI Training disks, or join the club, please do so
between 6:15 & 7:30 and after the general meeting
adjourns ~8:15. John will be available after the
general meeting to serve all those wishing to purchase
disks, etc.
*** All individuals with Dollars & Sense who would
like to meet some evening and discuss the program in
detail, call John Rohde at 546-8381.
*** We had a little problem with parking at the last
meeting. I have been directing most people to the
visitors parking lot next to the administration
building. Guess what? I filled it up last meeting
and the guest speaker didn't have a place to park.
There is another large parking lot (H-4) located
beyond the administration building and Fisher hall on
the right side of the roadway.
*** We will be giving away a copy of WordStar
Professional at the May meeting. Remember to pick up
a ticket at each meeting, write your name and phone
number on the back and deposit it in the raffle box.
You need not be present to win, BUT your dues must be
paid-up and in force at the time of the drawing.
*** Sam Powers will be monitoring the club library and
copying session at the meetings. If you have any
difficulties with the disks or machines see him.
While he is giving the hands-on demo for new users
(7pm-7:30pm), John Reed, Vice President will be
sitting in his place.
*** The public domain copying session seemed less
congested last meeting. Thanks for spreading out your
time and limiting yourself to 10 disks at one sitting.
If you have suggestions for further improvements,
please contact us.
*** For those individuals who can't make the meeting
when your membership expires, you may renew by mail.
Make your check payable to SLO BYTES and send it to
Bob Ward or John Rohde. See addresses in Newsletter
Information. Your new membership card will be
returned by mail.
*** The club is looking for a volunteer to be program
chairman. It would involve writing software and
hardware manufacturers and distributors. We are large
enough we should be able to draw speakers from the
larger cities. Contact George or Bob if you have a
weak moment and wish to say "YES".
*** See new discounts offered by WITCO under the
discount section of this newsletter.
*** For all you members over the hill, Cuesta Grade
that is, there is new PC computer store in Paso
Robles. Taylor Business Machines is located behind
the Safeway store. Owned by Ray Taylor, his phone
number is 239-4750.
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$$-4SALE-$$-4SALE-$$-4SALE-$$-4SALE-$$-4SALE-$$
******** Zenith PC 148 ********
Monochrome Monitor
1 ea 360k Floppy Drive
1 ea 20m Hard Disc
640K RAM
CGA Color Emulation Card
Standard PC Keyboard
Serial and parallel Ports
Dual Selectible 4.77/8 mhz
Original Cost ................ $1,987.00
Asking ....................... $1,490.00
One year old. Used by a frail Senior Citizen who only
took the computer to church once each week. Have
original "pedigree" documents.
Call Jules Lieber 528-1566. Ring softly...you might
wake him up. (The editor takes no credit for composing
this ad!)
-----
Epson EX-1000 Printer (6 months old). Draft mode and
NLQ. 9 pin, wide carriage, tractor feed (both push or
pull) & friction feed. Parallel interface.
Retails $475.00 (discounted)
Take it away for $275.00. Call John Rohde @ 546-8381
-----
WANTED: Used portable PC, 8088, 2 - 5.25" floppy disk
drives, 640K RAM, parallel & serial port, monochrome
system with RGB port to outside of case. Hard disk
optional.
WANTED: Used PC-XT compatible, desk model, 8088, 1-
5.25" floppy disk, 640K RAM, parallel & serial ports,
30 MEG hard disk (optional), monochrome system.
Call Bob Ward @ 528-0121
-----
$$-4SALE-$$-4SALE-$$-4SALE-$$-4SALE-$$-4SALE-$$
== VOTE == VOTE == VOTE == VOTE == VOTE == VOTE ==
This next meeting will be important to you. As a
member you need to vote on two proposals: 1. the
purchase of a portable computer with hard disk for
club demonstrations, and 2: Purchase of a computer
with hard disk for a club Bulletin Board. After
reading the survey sheets, it was felt these two items
would best serve the majority of members. We will be
discussing these proposals plus any others you may
have. (Trip to Hawaii for the officers only received 3
yes votes. Wonder why?)
ITEM #1
The officers propose the purchase of a portable
computer, new or used with the following enhancements:
2 floppy disk drives, 8088 processor, 640K memory,
built-in monochrome monitor, 10 or 20 megabyte hard
disk, parallel and serial ports and RGB color graphics
external port to which we can hook up the overhead
projection system. The Compaq computer we borrow from
the Biology Department no longer has a hard disk which
severely limits the demonstration of large programs.
This computer will be used only at the meetings for
demonstrations.
Approximate cost: Used - $750.00 New - $950.00
ITEM #2
The officers propose the purchase of a table top
computer, new or used with the following character-
istics: 1 floppy disk drive, 8088 processor, 640K
memory, clock calendar, minimum 30 megabyte hard disk,
parallel and serial ports, internal or external 1200
baud modem, and a monochrome monitor.
Approximate cost: Used - $800 New - $950
To this we would have a one time charge of $34.50 for
a second phone line + $15.00 for phone hardware. This
BBS would run 24 hours a day except for occasional
hard disk backup's, etc. All members would have full
access to this computer through their modems. George
Campbell would be running the BBS. He resides in Los
Osos and his phone prefix is 528-****.
We would be obligated to pay the monthly phone bill of
$8.50. If we decide to insure this machine there
would be an extra yearly cost.
With our current balance of over $3100 in savings both
items could be purchased at this time.
======================================================
CALENDAR
March 3rd Computer Magazines - The Best and
Worst. An overview by George Campbell
---> FISHER HALL 286
April 7th GEM as demonstrated by Gus Thomasson.
He has guaranteed a dazzling display!
---> FISHER HALL 286
May 5th ---> Meeting in Science North 213
June 2nd ---> Meeting in Science North 213
Please note the room change for the months of May and
June. Disks will still be copied in Fisher Hall 292
during this time.
======================================================
COMINGS AND GOINGS
At our February meeting we were fortunate to have Greg
Clark, hardware developer for BOTTOM-LINE accounting
program.
Bottom-line is an effective accounting package for
both small and large businesses. It is currently used
by many of the larger corporations throughout the
United States. The product is sold in modules so you
buy only what pertains to your business. The main
program is "General Ledger" and other modules such as
"Accounts Receivable" and "Light Manufacturing" are
built around the main program and may be purchased
separately. Modules sell for about $800 each.
Our many thanks to Greg and his Customer Service
Representative for travelling the distance from
Ventura. We will be receiving a disk, which is
identical to the General Ledger program but with a
limited number of entries. Look for it in our library
in the near future.
Next month our tireless leader, George Campbell, will
review several computer magazines. We will learn the
strong and weak points of those reviewed and perhaps
see a few new magazines of which we were not aware.
There are several hundred different computer magazines
on the market today. Many are very specialized,
others very general.
George also came across a great little shareware
program which is a must if you have a modem. Called
MINIHOST, this simple program makes your computer into
a mini bulletin board. Great if a friend wants to
access your computer and download or upload a file.
You don't even have to be present. The computer does
all the work. It has security levels, password
protection, several message bases, and many other
features. Bob Ward will take 10 minutes to show you
the highlights of this program. It has been added to
our library this month.
At the new user's meeting, George will be demonstrat-
ing the DOS BACKUP program. Yes, if you have a hard
disk you should back it up, even if all you have is
the BACKUP program that comes with DOS. He will field
any other questions you may have at this time. Don't
forget the "real new" users demo by Sam Powers from 7-
7:30.
Look in Computer Shopper and Compute's PC Magazine for
columns written by George. Our Prez in a national
celebrity. Well.... he's not running for president
yet but give him a few years. A computer in every
pot! Just think, millions of frustrated people.
======================================================
USEFUL UTILITIES UPDATE
by Dick Trueman
This month, I'll start off with suggestions about
replacing some of the frequently-used DOS commands
with handier and more powerful commands from the PC
Magazine utilities discussed in the previous issue.
COPY ... Use CO to copy one file, several files or
all files to a diskette or subdirectory - no need to
type out file names. Also, CO can be used to move a
selected file or files to a diskette or a subdirectory
-- it is not necessary to copy files that you really
want to move (rather than copy) and then go back and
delete the original files. CO does that for you.
Note: To specify a subdirectory on the same drive,
when prompted type only a back-slash (.) and the
subdirectory name.
DEL or ERASE ... Use CO or DR to delete a single
file, CO to delete several files or all files. You
will be prompted to respond Y or N before any
deletions are made.
REN ... Rename individual files using DR, which will
prompt for the new name.
TYPE ... For a single file, use BROWSE, which gives
you complete control to scroll forwards or backwards a
line or a page at a time. For one or more files, use
DR, which gives you the same control while allowing
you to view any file on the current directory by
simply selecting it and pressing ENTER. It is worth
noting that both DR and BROWSE will allow you to scan
through non-ASCII files for any embedded ASCII
characters. This can be helpful at times in getting
some information before running an executable file,
for example.
-----
Now, how about a program which will let you select
printer control codes from a menu which you can pop-up
from within any program (except one which takes over
the keyboard interrupts) and immediately transmit the
desired code(s) to your printer! SETUP is a memory-
resident program configured for the Epson RX/FX
series, but it can be modified fairly easily for other
printers. I've included on the PC Magazine Utilities
disk two modified versions, SETUPIBM for the IBM
Proprinter and SETUPMX for Epson MX printers. Read
the SETUP.DOC file and give this program a try.
-----
If you spot a file named SLOBYTES.LTR, say, and have
trouble remembering what in the world it is, DIRNOTES
can be most helpful. When DIRNOTES is called, it
presents you with an alphabetically-sorted directory
listing on the left side of the screen. For each
file, you can enter descriptive comments up to 38
characters in length, such as program purpose, file
contents, hot keys, etc. The directory is
automatically updated as you add or delete files, and
all information is saved in an ASCII file with the
name DIRN-abc.DAT, where abc will be the first three
letters of the directory name.
-----
If you have a hard disk and don't like to have to hunt
for the backslash key to type CD .NAME to switch to
your NAME subdirectory, here's a little batch file
which will not only switch to a new subdirectory but
will also optionally execute a program with an
optional argument. For convenience, suppose we call
the batch file CD.BAT. It consists of two lines
CD .%1
%2 %3
Call this program by typing:
CD (subdir) [program] [parameter]
Examples: CD S4 -- Change to subdirectory S4
CD S4 SC4 -- and call program SC4
(which happens to be SuperCalc 4)
CD S4 SC4 EXAMPLES -- and load the file
EXAMPLES.CAL into SC4 ready to go
-----
Comments? Questions? Suggestions? Call me at 544-4267.
======================================================
NEWS FROM OUR LIBRARY
For the month of February, the following disks have
been added to our library:
#242 MINIHOST - A simple means of communicating
between 2 computers via modem. Upload,
download, message base and more.
#243 LOTTOMAN - Win the California Lottery - Written
by George Campbell, VMUSIC; a music program,
MEDICBBS; a list of national medical BBS's and
more. Files ARC'd.
#244 Miscellaneous programs including many music
files, baseball statistics, SLO county scanner
frequencies, and more. Files ARC'd.
#245 Educational - Solve chemistry problems, math
programs, quiz generator, astronomy, assembly
language tutorial, etc. Files ARC'd.
#246 Graphics - EGA demo's, graphics for Print Shop,
Print Master editing tools, etc. Files ARC'd.
Most require CGA, many EGA monitor and board.
#247 Miscellaneous applications - Outline & planning
program, video cataloging system, WORDPERFECT
macros, lock your hard disk from outside
intruders, DOS shell. Files ARC'd.
#248 Application programs - AREACODE, find cities
from areacode, EZFORM - form generating
program, LQALL - 3 pass NLQ for Epson printers,
WOOD - how best to cut large pieces fo wood,
etc. Files ARC'd.
#203 ImagePrint Update to Version 1.5
======================================================
DOS TIPS
(Bits & Bytes, August, 1987 - Author unknown)
An undocumented DELETE command has been discovered
which is useful when you want to erase all the files
in a sub-directory. An example of each command is
shown below, with the documented command first. both
commands give the "Are you Sure" prompt to save you,
hopefully, from accidents.
DEL /WS/*.*
or
DEL WS
Each command gives the same results, no files in sub-
directory WS. [This story first appeared in the HAL-
PC, Houston Texas, Newsletter in the October 1986
issue, Betty Dillingham, editor.]
Further to the above (by Dave Schubert & Bruce
Rosenberg)
In the course of testing the above command we
discovered a few more nifty commands related to DOS
and sub-directories. The COPY and DIR commands have
some shortcuts also.
The command DIR WS (where WS is a sub-directory like
above) will display a DIR command of all the files
inside without having to do the old documented command
of DIR \WS or DIR \WS*.*
The COPY command can also be used to copy ALL files
from one sub-directory to another. Say you want to
have a backup copy of all files in sub-directory WS
before you go through it. Try this command next time:
COPY WS WSBACKUP and all files inside sub-directory WS
would be copied to sub-directory WSBACKUP in that one
step.
======================================================
FUNCTION KEYS CAN BE VERY USEFUL
By Andy Driscoll
LaCrosse Wisconsin PCUG
(Reprinted from Harvest, December 1987)
The five function keys marked F1 - F5 on the PC
keyboard can be very useful for typing in long command
strings and editing characters while typing in these
commands.
Here is a quick summary of the keys:
F1 Repeats previous command character-by-character
F2 Repeats previous command up to a specific character
F3 Repeats last command entered
F4 Skips over characters in previous command up to a
specific character
F5 Saves current line in editing buffer - waits for
next DOS command
Here is an example of how these keys are used. Enter
the following command but do not hit the return key:
A> COPY MYFILE.TXT B:MYFILE.TXT
Suppose you wanted to copy the file named MYFILE.TXT
but you misspelled the first filename. Just strike
the F5 key. This gives you a new line for entering a
new command, but your last command is still stored in
the keyboard input buffer. To fix your mistake you
could now strike the F2 key and then strike the PERIOD
key (.). This combination of keystrokes repeated the
last command up to the period key. Now strike the INS
key and the letter then strike the F3 key. Striking
the F3 key repeats the previous command from the
pointer in the input buffer to the end of the previous
command.
If you had hit the F3 key right after you hit the F5
key, then the whole command entered originally would
have appeared on your screen. Now hit ENTER, and your
command has been fixed. Now suppose you want to
enter:
A>COPY B:MYFILE.TXT A:TEMP.TXT
Strike the F1 key 5 times. This repeats the first 5
characters of the input buffer. Now hit F4 followed
by B. This command has just deleted every character
up to the first B it encountered. Now hit F3 and
finish typing in your command.
======================================================
CONFESSIONS OF A COMPUTER USER
By Tom Crain, Modesto PCUG
I've got this computer and I've been using it awhile.
I was just a simple beginner. But not any longer.
Now I've used about two thirds of the DOS commands and
I've even mastered a few of them. I'm using a word
processor in my work. I've added some small
improvements to a commercial program written in BASIC.
I've replaced my 8088 with a V20. Now I've decided I
need a hard disk, a modem and an accelerator board.
So, not what am I?
I used to be a simple beginner. Not any more. Now I
use batch files as a matter of course. I frequently
use RAM drives of varying sizes. I've actually used
DEBUG successfully! And I find myself becoming
obsessed. Recently, I couldn't decide whether or not
to delete a small, unused utility from my utility disk
(better to keep it, but I haven't used it even
once...is it backed up?...what time is it anyway...3am
Just a few more minutes... now where is that arc'd
utility backup disk?... hmm... what's in this arc'd
file...). I can get an enormous sense of satisfaction
digging out and running an obscure little feature of a
program for which I have absolutely no use whatsoever.
What am I now?
I was just a simple beginner. Not now. Now I buy
four or five computer magazines, pour over the ads,
read the reviews, dream about what to buy, all the
while figuring how I can manipulate budget priorities
which I know full well won't budge.
I used to be a simple beginner. What am I now? Ok.
I admit it. I'm a... a... user. There, I've said it.
I'm hooked. I'm a computer junkie. An addict,
craving an electronic fix. Sound familiar? If it
does, if all this describes you as well, then you are
a computer junkie, too. Good for you for admitting it!
But if you insist that you're different, then you're
lying through your CRT. That's called denial and you
haven't accepted the truth of your habit.
But there's hope. I heard about a local group that
helps computer users. I joined. We meet on the first
Thursday of the month. The purpose of the group is to
help us with our habits. Some of these people are
really heaver users. They've been dBASING for years.
That's something I haven't tried yet. Must be
terrific. They certainly use a lot of exclamation
points while doing it. Other members have been
assembling and disassembling their brains for years.
You can spot them at once. They speak a language all
of their own. You can even join smaller, special
groups which cater to members with very selective
needs. At a recent general meeting a big pusher (with
international connections) gave away some hardware,
free! Now you can even get software free: all you
have to do is tell the local connections how good it
was!
When I first started using, I didn't know it was habit
forming. After all, I was a simple beginner. And no
one warned me that I would slowly develop a dependency
with cravings. No one warned me that I would need
more hardware to satisfy my urges, that I would need
more and more software to satisfy my increasing need
to... USE! How could I know that I was slipping
into... COMPUTER MADNESS. Not one ever warned me. To
bad. I could have begun using even sooner. If only I
had known!
======================================================